Posted on 03/07/2008 6:33:13 AM PST by CGASMIA68
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon . In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations donot have temperature compensation at the pumps.
When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode . If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL . The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount
Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up --most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
Dont for get(my add on) hold the hose up to get what the meter read but didnt make it to the tank...I thing you get what the guy before didnt get?
The ground temperature worldwide is 55 degrees in the inhabited areas. That holds true for at least several hundred feet down, as water from 500 foot wells is normally about 55 degrees.
About the saving money bit. I remember during the Carter induced energy crisis some ‘expert’ came on the radio in MN, in the middle of winter and said the best thing to do was to sart your car and immediately start driving, not to give it even a minute to warm the engine. I often wondered how many engines he was responsible for wrecking.
Gas station owners used to be clients of mine. It happens all the time. The main "rack", the big storage facilities, used to skim water and other impurities for their customers,but they pass it on these days. I saw a late model BMW unable to pull away from the pumps thanks to a bad lot of gas.
Just mooch a ride with a friend. When he stops to buy fuel, tell him you forgot your wallet.
I would like to know where in the USA there is going to be a 20 degree change in underground fuel storage tanks from morning to afternoon!!! BOGUS!!! Or even from month to month!
When the price of gas is falling, run your tank empty. Buy at the lowest price.
When the price of gas is rising, top off every time you see a good price.
Because of the stupid Wisconsin minimum markup laws, when the price goes up, it always jumps 12 - 15 cents, then settles back to a market price. Usually, the price jump is on Tuesday or Wednesday, so it makes sense to buy early or late in the week after the price trends back down.
The meter in the pump doesn’t meter by volume, it meters by mass. The temperature is irrelevant and has been for years.
Unless you live in an area whre 4WD isn't a status symbol but a necessity. Our 4WD Subaru station wagon goes everywhere and gets 34 MPG driving locally, which is mostly back roads. We never checked the highway mileage, but imagine it's better. In addition, newer SUVs is a bit over 20 MPG, 2006 estimate.
Understood, AWD sedans are a necessity in certain parts of the country, but a Yukon Denali or Ford Espedition isn’t necessary to pick up the gorceries, or for that matter take the kids to soccer.
That’s impressive for a model where the highest MPG that I can find is 28 highway and 20-21 city under the new 2008 ratings.
While the writer makes some points, they are at best trivial. I don’t think they have any real significance.
In a society to lazy to actually spend pennies or to pick them up off the ground, saving miligrams of gas is not meaningful.
Rather than moan about gas increase, buy a hedge. Invest some bucks in oil securities that increase in value or pay increased dividends reflecting price increases.
Good one Jeff!
A known fact that I don’t think is true. The gas moves throught he pump fast enought that it isn’t going to warm up much if at all.
another trick is to watch who buys gas - try to fill up right after someone who choose a higher octane than you and avoid someone who picks a lower octane
*************************************************
higher octane fuel DOES NOT have a higher number of BTU’s per gallon ... if your car doesn’t ping on regular then use regular ... many high dollar imports “require” unleaded premium ,, in many instances ,, my Mercedes for instance ,, it is not true ,, the car runs fine without pinging on mid-grade,, only buy what you need and only fill up when empty ,, filling up at half tank wastes your time as you’re filling up twice as often.
The simple solutions are usually the best.
Ground temperatures at the average burial depth of a gasoline tank doesn't vary 20° in many parts of the country from summer to winter. Not at all from morning to afternoon.
Forget snopes! This stuff is like jumping up just before the elevator crashes in the basement-sounds almost reasonable, almost. Better to apply your efforts to your driving habits, keep your vehicle in good order and buy gas at the cheapest place. And you could get a diesel.
When they start marketing more than a handful of models.
VW is coming out with interesting model this year. 50-60 miles to the gallon.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.